Olivia Gonzales, was nicknamed “Chachi” by her family.  Most people think the nickname came from Scott Biao’s character “Chachi’ on Happy Days, but actually Chachi is short for muchachita; which, in spanish means “little girl”.  She was born in Houston, Texas, the youngest of 5 siblings.  With such a big family, it called for a fun upbringing doing lots of different things just being around her older brothers and sisters.  Early on, her my mom and dad told her to pick something she wanted to do and to do it well.  So, at age 6, she picked ballet and she enrolled me at a nearby dance studio where she trained for three years.  At around the age of 9 she went to a dance event where she saw for the first time a hip hop dance crew.  Coincidently, it just so happened to be Moons’ Marvelous Motion. Instantly, she was hooked and told her parents that this was what she wanted to do.  Immediately, she could feel the music and instinctively wanted to move differently than she ever had in ballet.  Within the same month she enrolled in a new middle school and by a stroke of luck it was one of the only few schools in Houston that had a hip hop dance crew.  She was extremely shy at first and hid behind her mom when she was first introduced to the new dance instructor.  She was so scared because she had no idea how to dance hip hop.  The group director, Ms. Valencia, took a liking to Chachi and showed her how to have confidence in herself.  Soon enough, she started to love dancing hip hop and it motivated her to work harder and harder in order to get better.  Eventually, her instructor began to count on Chachi more and more and before too long, she was asked to lead the group.  Shortly thereafter, her mom found Marvelous Motion Studios and enrolled her in a few classes.  It was a wonderful time being there because so many of the dancers that inspire her to this very day were dancing there as well.  Dancers like The Soreal Cru, Phillip Chbeeb, and Moon just to name a few.  It was a really fun time because she was just a beginner and these guys were already dancing at a level that inspired so many. From there on she just continued to dance as much as she could and eventually it led to a passion, dancing almost everyday. The question asked the most is how does Chachi get to dance the way she does; even though it still feels surprising that other dancers like her dance style and are even inspired by her, it is extremely humbling.  The message given to them is the same; work hard every day.  When most people are getting to the dance studio; Chachi has already been there, and when others leave she will still be there, way past bedtime, but having fun nonetheless!  Chachi doesn’t admit to being any better or special than anyone else; the only difference is that she will practice all the of the time.  Family support and the love of friends encouraged her to not only be the best dancer she can be, but also to be the best person possible inside and out.  Chachi is 15 years old and the only that she will confess to is that she is Justin Bieber’s biggest fan!!

 

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